Heart of the Ocean
by maximumride17
Summary: Arianna is a teenage mermaid who lives in the underwater kingdom of Atlantica. She has a goodlife and spends time with her crush, Hunter But when a day collecting shells goes terribly wrong, it's up to her friends, Henry, Chloe, and Hunter to save her.


Heart of the Ocean

_Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep_. _. _I sleepily reach out and hit the snooze button on my alarm clock. _Ahhh, silence_. This is my favorite time of the day. When the day is young and I'm in that state between sleep and being fully awake. I start thinking about the day and my life. _Today is…..What is today? Oh right! It's Thursday. _ Today would just be any other Thursday of my life, with school and all its ever so boring activities.

But at least I will be able to see Hunter. He has been my crush for two years now. And it wasn't until recently that I found out that he likes me too cause we told each other. We would be dating right now if it weren't for our parents. They say _we're too young_ or _we're not ready for a commitment like that_. But I really don't care how young we are; I want to be with Hunter and he feels the same way about me. But until we actually _can_ date, we have to be happy with a flirtationship; more than a friendship, but less than a relationship.

I open the top of my pearl color clam that has been my bed for the majority of my childhood; after I grew out of my crib of course. I love this bed; it's so soft and warm when the cold currents come through.

I sit up and stretch and find Henry and Chloe sleeping next to my clam. They are my most trusted and loyal best friends. Henry is a bottle nose dolphin and Chloe is a seahorse. We always hang out after school, going to the reefs to collect shells and look at the coral. We even swim to the surface to watch the sunset from time to time, but kids aren't supposed to do that because the adults say it's too dangerous. So we are very sneaky about it.

I swim over to my desk and brush my long, red hair that fans out all around me in the clear blue water. _Ughh I hate bed hair. _ I brush my teeth, and rub my tail with kelp and jellyfish. I do this twice a day to keep my scales slimy and shiny. I grab my books, and as quietly as possible swim past Henry and Chloe. I am just about to open the door, when I hear a faint, "Arianna?" _Dang it. _

I turn around and see Henry give a big yawn. "You heading off to school?" he asks.

"I'm gonna grab some breakfast and then I'll…"

"Breakfast! I want breakfast! I'm hungry!" Henry squeals and races over to the door.

"Of course you are. You're _always_ hungry," I laugh.

"I am a growing dolphin!" He shouts back while swimming out the door, towards the kitchen. I look back at Chloe and see her waking up too.

"Good morning, Flower," I softly said. My nickname for her is Flower because she always comments on the sea flowers and how much she loves them. So I just started calling her Flower.

"Hey Arianna, I'm hungry too."

"Well, c'mon, sleepy head. Momma's making shrimp! I can smell it." We both swim to the kitchen and sure enough Momma's in there. Alex, my little brother is already stuffing his mouth, as usual.

"Hey Momma."

"Good morning, sweet-heart! Shrimp?" she asks.

"Yes please!" I say. We eat our breakfast and get ready to go to school. I grab my books and just before I swim out the door, Momma yells, "Don't forget to swim Alex home from school!"

"Moooooooomm, he can swim home with his friends. He just annoys me and my friends" I whine.

"I don't care. He's too young to swim by himself."

"uggghhh fine," and I rush out the door.

The final bell rang, letting everyone out of Coral Reef High. I let out sigh. _Another day done_. School is okay. I mean I have my friends and everything; it just gets old after a while. It's the same routine every day. I want to get away from here for a while. Something different, but Momma and Poppa would never allow it.

I swim to my locker and exchange my books. I turn around and smack right into someone and all my books drop to the floor. "Oh!" I let out a little squeal, "Oh sorry"

"Well hey, beautiful. In a hurry?"I find myself staring into the most beautiful sea green eyes. _Hunter._

"Only to see you again," I laugh.

"I know, having four out of six classes and lunch together just isn't enough time with you," he says sweetly.

"Not even close," I agree, "so are we going to hang out at the Juice Net? We could finish our History of Atlantica paper."

"Sure, I need your brains, Wise Girl, to help me. I can't figure out how to word the part about King Triton becoming king."

"Alright, Seaweed Brain, we will work on that first. Oh! I almost forgot! I have to swim Alex home. Momma still doesn't want him to go by himself," I said as we swam out of the school.

"That's okay. It won't take that long, we'll drop him off and then go to the Juice Net."

"Sounds good. Thanks," I said as we headed toward the Seahorse Elementary.

"Oh my gosh, I'm tired!" yawned Hunter. We had been writing, studying, and talking for two hours. It was about time to start heading home and get dinner.

"Me too. They assign _way _too much homework. It's so hard to keep up!" I slouched in my chair. "Well, I guess it's about time for to get home."

"Yea it is getting late. Wanna do this again tomorrow, but since it's Friday, it would be minus the studying." He chuckled.

"I would love to, but I promised Henry and Chloe to go the Reef to look for shells. Chloe wants me to make her a shell necklace…..just gotta find small enough shells," I laughed. "We could hang out Saturday. Go to the dolphin show with Casey and Taylor and you can invite Kevin and Tyler."

"Yea, that sounds awesome. But I have something for you…" he paused for a minute and pulled a necklace. On the long golden chain was a sparkling pink jewel.

"Oh Hunter, you didn't have to..."

'No, I wanted to. To show you how I feel about you. This is a rare precious diamond called the Heart of the Ocean. It's a replica of course. I got it from my dad. He said I could have one thing from his gem store and I immediately thought of you when I saw this," he said.

"Oh Hunter, it's beautiful! Will you put it on me?" I turned around and lifted my hair out of the way. His fingers felt warm compared to the cold chain. I turned around and looked at it again.

"You like it?" he asked.

"Of course I do! I love it!" I squealed and lightly gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Haha, let's get you home, Wise Girl." He gathered our things and ushered me outside.

After school Friday, I swam home to drop off my things and went to Seaweed Park where we all agreed to meet. Henry and Chloe were already waiting for me.

"Arianna! Race you there!" Henry yelled.

'Not fair! You have a head start!" I yelled back

"Too bad! Just have to catch up!" He had already started.

"C'mon Flower, let's go beat his arrogant butt!"

It was about a fifteen minute swim to the reef. We've been down there many times. It's so beautiful there and no one goes there because kids under fourteen aren't allowed. The adults almost never come because they don't have a reason. So a lot of the time, it's just us down there and an occasional merperson.

"Ha! Beat you!" I raised my arms in triumph.

"No way! I so beat you!" Henry cried.

" Nuh uh! I'm the fastest swimmer!

"Nuh uh!"

"Yes huh!"

"Nuh uh!"

"Guys! Chill, I say it was a tie," squeaked little Chloe.

"Truce?" I held my hand out for our secret handshake.

"Truce," Henry agreed and returned the shake.

"Now let's go find some shells!"

After about an hour of gathering, my bag was almost full. I could spend an entire day out here, with all the brilliant colors of the coral and fish. There's life all around and most merpeople don't even think to stop and look at it. I was off to the far side of the reef when noticed a weird looking flash out beyond the edge of the reef.

"That's weird. It doesn't look like any fish I've seen before," I said to myself as I slowly swam over to it. Then I noticed the vibrations this thing is giving off weird vibrations. None like any normal fish should. "What is that thing?"

"Arianna! What are you doing? It's not safe to be out there," Chloe tried to beckon me back over to the reef.

"It's just for a second. I wanted to look at this weird…..thing" I said.

"A weird thing, well thanks for being specific." Henry said with major sarcasm.

"Yeah, it's really weird. It looks like a fish, but then again it doesn't. It's all wrong for a fish," I said and reached out to touch it and shot my hand back when it moved a little in the water. _Huh. It doesn't act like it's alive. _I reached out again and grabbed it. It didn't struggle like it would be it was alive. "Guys, come look at this." I glanced to my left and saw a huge dark figure in the water about a hundred yards away. I looked like a giant ice-berg, but it didn't touch the ocean floor. I made a note to go check that out as a turned and swam back to Henry and Chloe.

Out of nowhere my arm was jerked backward. "What the…?" I pulled it back but it wouldn't go any farther. I pulled harder and still nothing, it was attached to something that would allow it to go any farther. All of a sudden a monster net descends from over head. Before I knew it I was ensnared in a mountain of net and struggling to stay upright. When I finally let out a scream it sounded strangled and weak as I called for Henry and Chloe.

"You have to go get help!" As Henry and Chloe went to get help, the net was slowly lifting. _Oh my god. I'm going to die! I'm going to die. _I now understand why my parents always said to never go near the drop off. This must be one of those nets that the humani use to kidnap the fish. The older kids always scare the little ones with the horror stories of being captured by the humani.

The net still steadily rising and I was starting to really panic. Henry and Chloe would never be able to get back in time. "Help! Help! Somebody help me!" I screamed. _I'm going to die! _All I could think about was Hunter and my family. I didn't even get to say goodbye. The net is getting higher and higher and I will break the surface any minute and be in the hands of the humani.

"Arianna!" My head shot up and though my tear filled eyes I saw Hunter swimming towards me. "Hunter! Help me! I can't get out!"

"Ok just hold on!" He swam to the ocean floor and dug out a broken shell. He then came back up and started to cut the net.

"Hurry! It almost to the surface! I can't die!" I choked out.

He kept sawing at the ropes, "Arianna, look at me. Look at me." I met his eyes and found myself staring into a mysterious vast ocean and I saw fear in them. "You're not going to die. I promise."

I sniffed and nodded. One of the ropes finally snapped and he started on another one. The top of the net had just broken the surface when he got the fifth rope cut and I squeezed through the tiny hole head first. I slid through the net into Hunter's arms. "Hunter! Thank you so much! I was so scared. I thought I was going to be kidnapped like those kids in the stories!" I choked and buried my face into his chest.

"Shhhh, it's okay. It's okay. You're safe. Nothing's going to happen to you. I wouldn't allow it," Hunter said soothingly.

"How did you know where I was?" I asked him.

"Henry and Chloe came back looking for your parents. They were yelling help and when I didn't see you I was scared you were in trouble. You told me you were going to the Reef and I took off." He answered.

"Arianna!" I jumped and saw Momma, Poppa, and a group of people swimming towards us out the blue water. "Momma! Poppa!" I raced over into their outstretched arms.

"Arianna, baby, we thought we lost you! Henry and Chloe came back and said you were…" Momma cut off and tears filled her eyes.

"Momma, I'm okay. I was caught in a net and I would have been captured by the humani, but Hunter saved me," I looked over at him with pride.

"You saved her, boy?" Poppa asked him.

"Yes sir. I heard Henry and Chloe and I knew they were down here. I came as fast as I could." He said.

"Well young man, we have a hero in our midst." Poppa slapped Hunter on the back. "And you're the boy who has been getting sweet with my daughter?"

Hunter blushed a little, but kept his cool, "Yes, sir."

"Hmmm," Poppa thought for a second, "Why don't you join us for dinner tomorrow night and you can tell us more about yourself and your heroic act."

"I would love to. Thank you sir," Hunter smiled. And my heart fluttered. They were giving him a chance. And I just know they are going to love him.

Later, when all the hysterics had calmed down and I assured everyone I was okay, I met Hunter at Black Rock up at the surface. This is our special place. It's where we told each other we liked each other. I break the surface and cool, crisp sea air

"Hey," I said and he looked at me as I pull myself up next to him on the rock.

"Hey, it was an interesting day wasn't it?" he asked.

"Oh yes. I must say I've never had quite an adventurous day as this one," I chuckled, "I can't believe my parents are going to give you a chance. I just wish they let us be together. I mean you really proved yourself today," I say.

"Hey, dinner's a start. Besides, I think they already like me. I mean who could like _this_, Wise Girl?" he gave me his adorable crooked smile and he gestured to himself.

"What_ever_. Just keep telling yourself that Seaweed Brain." We both laughed and watched the sunset.


End file.
